Let’s not bury the lead. No stroke is good. TIA’s however, when discovered and treated quickly, can help prevent a major stroke. In fact, doctors estimate that up to 15 percent of people will have a major stroke within three months of experiencing a mini-stroke.
Continue reading “TIA (Mini-Strokes): Bad News, but Maybe a Blessing”
The living will is one form of Advance Directive that speaks for you when you cannot. They are generally written, although oral directives, properly witnessed, are legal, too. They are important should you or a loved-one become incapable of conveying your wishes due to illness or by being unconscious.
While informed consent policies require health care professionals to make sure that patients or those who are acting on their behalf are comfortable with the suggested course of care. Making medical decisions is a challenging process that entails a thorough assessment of the risks and benefits of treatment. With informed consent, the burden increasingly falls on patients and their caregivers to ask the right questions to understand their options.
Deciding whom should serve as the Executor of your estate is not a decision to be taken lightly. The person you name will have an impact on your life and family’s future. Making a cavalier decision about this decision could have a negative outcome later.
As we age, the loss of family and friends to death occurs with greater frequency. Knowing what to say – or what not to say – requires skillful communication. In this article, we deal mainly with the things people commonly say, but shouldn’t.
Speaking to a member of a bereaved family can be challenging and awkward. Yet, there are things that, however well meaning, can be empty at best or hurtful at worst. And, there are alternatives that more comfortably convey the same message.
Continue reading “Things Not to Say to Someone Who is Grieving”
The legacy we leave is not always money or real estate. Artifacts and collections have a value that goes beyond dollars and cents. The importance of hobbies and collections need to be given special consideration in planning an estate that includes baseball cards, comic books, video games, Beanie Babies, model trains, and Barbie dolls.
Despite the broad availability of professional home care, a vast majority of home care is provided by family members. It can be exhausting work with rarely the opportunity for time off. Splitting shifts with other family members can help, but when the care is provided by a main caregiver, sometimes time away is vital to the health of the caregiver him or herself. Care for the patient in these situations is called “respite care”.
Chances are your next visit with your doctor will be from your own living room. With Covid cautions and scheduling challenges, the practice of visiting with your doctor using a video monitor is becoming more and more common. With a little practice, it will become quite easy, but if you have not had a virtual medical appointment yet, there are a few things that you need to do to prepare.
Continue reading “Telehealth: Preparing for Your Virtual Doctor’s Visit”
Becoming a “senior citizen” can be as much of a choice as it is being any specific age. It may be a life event such as retirement or age-related disabilities that trigger your self-definition. And, there are benefits to deciding to become a senior citizen, from lower-priced menu items, to spending that which you have saved for this special time of life, to medical care that is more reasonably priced. Being designated a “Senior Citizen” can be a pretty good deal.
It might have been fun to title this article “Seniors Need to Drink More”, but that might have been slightly misleading. The fact is that common thinking is that adults need to consume at least two quarts of liquids per day. And, while that is a nice, simple formula, not every person’s body is the same. Some people need more liquids on a daily basis.